Noob asking for help...

[mytac]

Hey all..

I am new to all of this and have to say that I am very impressed by some of the work that I have seen you do. Ni really want to get better at this restoration, and have been doing some work on some old family photos.

I would really appreciate any tips you can offer. Here is my first attempt :

Original :

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...andgrandad.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...4614/first.jpg

ANy help is really appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

[hawkeye60]

You did a pretty good job except for the gentleman in the wheelchair. I assume you used only the clone tool for this? Make certain to use a separate layer and set the clone to about 50-60%, so you can build it up slowly.

Some areas can be painted. I did that here with the shirt color, tie and lapels, again on a separate layer with the brush set at a low opacity to build up the color slowly. Sample often to get the shade right.

I did this pretty quick so it isn't perfect, but you'll get the idea.

[0lBaldy]

Originally Posted by mytac

Hey all..
I would really appreciate any tips you can offer.
Thanks in advance,

mytac, welcome to RetouchPro. Have a look around the tutorial section and enjoy. Nice to have you onboard.

You are off to a good start.. there is still a hint of crease on the gentleman in the chair though..

My tip for you .. Practice cubed

Keep on trying everything and learn how all the tools in your particular software function

[TommyO]

Welcome !
To add to Hawkeye's note, also experiment with different blending modes of the clone tool. Most noob's just use it at the default. But, depending on the image area, it works as well or better in a "lighten" or "darken" mode (not the layer, the tool). Just copy everything to a new layer and try it out. If you don't like the results, just delete that layer.
Otherwise, a good first attempt.

[Kraellin]

hi mytac, and welcome to RP.

what software are you using and what tools did you use here?

[mytac]

Thank you for the tips all, I will keep experimenting, and will keep you updated. Great to find such a friendly forum. Thanks again

Mytac

[mytac]

I have Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Elements 6, I use the clone tool, but I dont understand the involvement of layers or how to adjust the %..... sorry, I am learning, and I dont mean to offend by asking stupid questions...

Ian

[TommyO]

By the way, I would also recommend you purchase a book or two (or many). Your skills will accelerate much faster, you can earmark pages/topics that you will use more often, and they generally come with a website for downloading all the practice images. You will also learn the right order in which to perform tasks (very important). This way you will not be mad at yourself a year from now.

The one I always recommend is:
Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (Third Edition), by Katrin Eismann, via New Riders publishing. Very good layout, hundreds of practice images, step by step procedures.

[mytac]

OK guys,,,

I went away, thought about what you said, worked on it and I came up with the following.

Original Image :-

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...andgrandad.jpg

Modified Image :-

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...admodified.jpg

Any comments ?

Ian

[smak]

That looks good.

[TommyO]

Much better ! I think anyone would be happy with that.
(It's easy to pick when you can see the before shot.)
If restoring for your own use, this level is usually quite sufficient.
If restoring for a client, you would have to review based upon time allotted, time spent, and how much further they may want you to go.

Good job !